Jennifer

They like cedars, too. Very likely porcupine(s)!

Oh, that's cool! Can you tell me which issue? I'll have to see if I can find a copy.

The blue of the drake's bill is part of his "nuptial" plumage, and the only known reason for it is for display for hens. When he is not wearing his best, he will lose the majority (or all) of the blue and his ruddy red feathers molt to a dull brown/grey as well. Many species follow this pattern; it is best to be camouflaged most of the year, but they put on their fancy outfits to impress the girls! Here's a drake as they typically look in the winter: http://www.pbase.com/image/105189561 The stamp itself was inspired by seeing wild ruddy ducks up in Batavia, NY... the hills ended up looking a bit more like a scene out west, though, I have been told! To be totally honest I wanted the stamp itself to appeal to judges from anywhere in the country and left it a bit vague. I never anticipated winning! But now that I won I wanted to give the secondary image a clear nod to the Great Lakes region.

Thought you guys might like this. This is a companion painting I did for the duck stamp. When you buy a duck stamp, it comes on a slip of paper that you peel it off of to stick to your license. The slip of paper has info about the program and an image on it. This will be said image. As a nod to my home area, it is Lake Erie. The flying bird is a Black Tern (endangered in NYS) and the fish are Emerald Shiners. The plant is a swaying bullrush, a native plant species. I included these other critters since the duck stamp funds go to protect entire wetland ecosystems, which are vitally important to many species.

Thank you-- I'm having a really goofy night it seems.

It that a hemlock tree (hard to tell)? I have seen porcupines leave this sort of "toilet" at the bases of favored hemlocks. Big porcupines can have quite large droppings indeed.

Weird... I had posted a video here earlier and now it's gone. If that was against the rules somehow, please accept my apologies.

A very good video to watch if you have some spare time. I listened to it today while working. Worth your time. I've listened to several of Shane Mahoney's lectures/talks and they are all similar, but this one touches a bit on non-hunters so I wanted to link it here.

Besides educating ourselves on these issues, in your opinion, what is the best course of action to take? These sorts of publications aren't going anywhere and I can only anticipate it will get worse. Using a lot of half-truths and flawed thought-directing that sounds legitimate and correct can have a large influence on the general public.

Very nicely done!

Agreed! No worries. Just wanted to toss it out there as many folks may not know of the method, and it's easy to do/free if your situation allows for it. That said, those with some creativity could do some lovely carving or scrimshaw.

Just for the record, even though I am genuinely happy with either doe or buck, I hold absolutely no disdain for those that prefer to hunt bucks, or those that prefer to hunt older bucks with the nicest antlers they can find.

I don't want to derail this too much so I will be brief; If you have the room for it, I find that a free way to get a cleaned skull is to deflesh as much as possible and then bury (and mark the spot) for a year; microbes will do the majority of the hard work. Not as pretty as a beetle-cleaned or cooked skull but they clean up pretty nice if you don't mind a slightly weathered look. I like to remember my does this way. It's okay if this isn't for you (obviously this won't work for everyone, especially if the ground is frozen when you take your doe or if you have a lot of determined scavengers) but I just wanted to mention it as an idea.

I apologize if my question was poorly worded. Many animals display striking sexual dimorphisim; and others do not. Deer do, most notably during the months that they have antlers. My question was perhaps too hypothetical; I was thinking perhaps more along the lines of deer evolving without antlers. Bucks would still have all of their normal biological functions from testosterone to mating drive, to wariness and "ghost of the forest" status for smart, older bucks. In this situation, I wonder if many people would still be interested based on the "sport" and challenge of outwitting a smart but still antler-less buck, or if the antlers alone really are the game changer. I have been just as excited about the does I have taken as the bucks I have taken. I am willing to admit that I may be in the minority. I'm sorry that you can't accept that there might be some folks that truly do feel this way. It doesn't make me feel better or worse to put it this way. I don't feel better than anyone- you are all brothers and sisters in hunting. It's just the way I am. I feel the same way about all game, by the way. The only turkey I have on display, for example, is a mature hen I took and she was so beautiful to me and the experience so great that I have her wings and tail hung nicely. Hunting is very personal, for many. It's unfair to suggest that others can't possibly have different experiences than you.

This question had me thinking. I wonder if anyone would change their answer or not on this. What if we reposed the question a little? Instead of there being no more bucks ever, what if we simply took away their antlers? If for some reason all bucks of all cervid species stopped growing antlers, but all other aspects of deer ecology and hunting remained the same, would it change how and if you hunt?

All very interesting and concerning. It is unfortunate and "apples to oranges" to compare mute swans with ringneck pheasants. Mute swans are invasive and actively destructive to both habitat and native species; if they were a plant they would be labeled as "noxious". Based on studies I have read and personal observation, ringnecks pose no such destructive and invasive properties. I try to approach these issues with as little personal bias as possible and I still can't understand the comparison.

It would make no change for me.

Glad to hear this.

My answer will probably not be the norm, but because doe tags are hard to get here, and I treasure the venison. If I had a doe tag, I'd prefer a large doe over a small buck. Somewhat related but a bit off track: There is an old, uneducated phenomenon around here. I don't know if it is state wide or if it's a local thing. Many older landowners (and some younger ones that have been taught this way) also specifically request absolutely no doe hunting. The farm almost next door actually has signs that say "NO DOE HUNTING". I don't hunt on these properties, I don't have permission-- but a small army of guys do. If they honor the landowner's request, then there are no does being shot off of large tracts of property here. (this makes sense as I regularly have 18-25 doe herded up in my back woods, over-browsing everything!) Is this a common thing, landowners forbidding doe hunting? Also an honest question.

I have done some online survey conducting before, but never on this scale nor to a very select group, so my idea may be ignorant. I find myself wondering if offering the survey in an online format, in addition to mailed surveys, would be of any benefit (in the future-- obviously there is not enough time to offer it this go around). One might enter their unique hunting license number to gain access to the survey, to make sure that they are a valid hunter from NYS. This would weed out non-hunters or hunters without valid NYS licenses, as well as prevent people from taking the survey more than once to skew results. This would open access to the survey in greater numbers, reduce mailing costs, and perhaps reduce the number of people that would not return the survey. I may be biased, though, because all of us here use the internet regularly (obviously, as we post to this forum). So it might be best used in conjunction with some mailed surveys. Again, I might be barking up the wrong tree. I imagine (and hope) that the folks that conduct the survey have a better idea of what yeilds the most results.

Thank you! I wasn't able to connect this year (didn't draw a doe tag and no bucks sighted). A family friend took a small late season doe and gifted her to us, we were very thankful.

... or what they are using as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers.... All the more reason to try hitting up local farmers, where you can talk to the person growing your food, or heck you can go see for yourself. We used to have nothing like that locally, and if I didn't grow it myself I was out of luck. In the last 5-10 years some local farms have started selling direct ("farm to table") and now I can get most things I need, even in the winter when they use high tunnels. It's really pretty rewarding, similarly to how hunting can be very rewarding... to be only one step away from your food origins. I know it doesn't work out for everyone, we all live in different situations and I respect that. But it's getting easier and easier to find local foods these days if you take the time to look.

Same here, Bubba. I usually only score a doe tag once every 2-3 years via preference points. When I don't draw a doe tag, I pray to take a buck- any legal buck- because the venison is very important to my family. Would I like a larger buck? Of course, there is more meat on those guys, but any buck is blessing to us. It's very hard for us to afford to travel much to other parts of the state that have more DMPs to give out. The state is too large and diverse in terms of habitat, population, and deer herd to fairly implement statewide, "one-size-fits-all" AR. But I suppose that is just my opinion, and it hardly matters...

Plug your ZIP code into this-- I bet you'd be surprised at what is around. Admittedly you are probably going to pay more because of your location, though. http://www.localharvest.org/

Trust me, arsenic is only one of only many things that make commercial, mass-produced poultry depressing and scary. Raise some, or if you can't due to space/laws/time/etc, find a local farmer that does right by his or her birds and support them. Investing in your local farmers not only supports their livelihood, it supports ethical treatment of livestock, and gets you healthier food to you and your family. Win/Win. It is sometimes a bit more expensive, because you are paying for quality and the real time that goes into raising such animals.